Cushion or mattress



Feb/1, 1923.

D. T. OWEN.

CUSHION 0R MATTRESS.

Z SHEETS--SHEET l.

FILED APR, 27, X922.

mbewkoz Feb, 13, 19.23. 1,445,4w.

T. OWEN. CUSHION 0R MATTRESS.

FILED APR,27. 1922. 2SHEEIS-SHEET 2.

in/ma Patented Feb. 13, i923.

DAVID T. OWEN OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO.

CUSHION OR MATTRESS.

Application filed April 7 27,

To all u-lmzn it may concern Be it known that 1 DAVID T. ()wnN. a citizen of the United States. residing at Cleveland Heights. in the county of Cuya- 5 hoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cushions or Mattresses. of which the following is a specification.

The primary purpose of this inventio'n is to provide a comfortable spring seat, couch cushion or bed mattress, in which the border portions and seating edge may be held taut and under constant tension and in which the covering will be stretched and kept free from folds and wrinkles and be restored to a smooth neat appearance .after use. A fun ther object is to build up a soft resilient structure using relatively light springs and only a smallamount of padding supple- 'mented by expanding devices interposed transversely or longitudinally between parallel rows of springs. These supplemental expanding devices are fabricated entirely of spring wire elements particularly related and connected to impart vertical and horizontal spreading movements and a folding action when confined and placed under tension within a flexible casing or envelope composed of woven fabric. leather or other suitable covering material.

In the annexed drawing. Fig; 1 is a perspective view of a. couch or davenport. embodying a seatof three cushions constructed according to my invention, Fig.2'is a top view of a cushion. partly broken away and in section, and Fig. 3 being a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. is an enlarged side elevation and section of one end of one of the expanding devices. and Fig. 5 is a cross 40 section on line of Fig. 4. Fig. 6'is anedge elevation or bottom view of the parts shown in Fig. at. Fig. 7 isa perspective view of a pair of expanding devices connected-with separate border wires. the whole constituting a compressible frame of spring wire.

adapted to be incorporated and placed undertension within a cushion or mattress for use as a seat. couch or bed.

As delineated. the cushion or mattress comprises a plural number of compartmented sections or units A, B, and C. each containing relatively small and light springs 2 arranged in parallel rows and placed closely adjacent each other but separated and held upright by vertical strips 3 of 1922. Serial Nb. 556,908.

fabric forming the division walls of the pockets or compartments l of such units.

The outer covering of each unit is made of end portions of these border wires 6 may be,

curved or rounded and extend a greater or lesser distance along the outer sides of the end units, and the adjacent springs 2 may be sewed or fastened by clips 7 to the borderwires. An outer pad or covering 8 envelopes or encloses the joined units, but only a relatively thin layer of cotton, hair or equivalent padding material is interposed between the outer covering 8 of the fabric and" the coarse fabric 5 of the units; The number of units and the number of springs in each unit may vary and is more or less dependent upon the size and area to be covered and the place of use of the completed product. For example, in Fig. 1. I show. a couch D having three separate cushions E. F and G. each constructed according to Figs. 2 and 3. Obviously. a single relatively long cushion may be made in the same manner and used in lieu of the three cushions shown.

However. the springs 2 are not in themselves strong enough to keep the cushion permanently in shape. being relatively light to make a soft yielding body and the padding being also thin for the same reason. Therefore. I employ supplemental expanding devices within the cushion adapted to impart.

a spring tension and spreading effect to the border wires or frame (5 and therethrough to the individual coverings for the several units and to the outer covering 8 common to all of them. These expanding devices are preferably placed in the longitudinal spaces between parallel units where each may act freely without interference with the compression springs 2. and each expansion device consists of a straight rod 10 of spring wire having round eyes 11 at opposite ends thereof to permit a hook connection to be made with the outer ends of separate expansion springs 12 sleeved over the rod. Each spring 12 has its inner end formed into an elongated loop 12' adapted to be threaded through separate coiled portions 13 in a spreading element made of a single piece of spring wire bent and formed at its middle into a round loop or eye 14; to receive and slide upon rod 10, the coiled portions 13 being formed in the same piece of wire at uniform distances from the eye 14: and the major length of the wire forming straight legs 1515 which spread apart on diverging lines and terminate in end eyes or coils 16 to connect with the stiffer border wire 6. The inherent spring in the wire legs is augmented by the convohitions or coils 13 at the base of each leg where hooked to expansion spring 12 so that the diverg ing legs tendconstantly 'to spread the up per and lower border wires 6 apart. This spreading effect is furtherenhanced by the expansion springs 12 whichplace a much. stronger tension on these border. wires.

.Thus these border wires are held within.

bounds by the enveloping folds of fabric which connect the parallel rear and front border wires (3 together, while the expan sion springs on the opposite ends of the same rod exert a pull outwardly in opposite directions and are normally distended to spread the legs apart and to stretch and keep the fabric taut at all times, thereby maintaining the top of the' cushion in a smooth and shapely condition and keeping the border edges always straight and par-- allel with the upper edge raised and the front of the cushion vertically distended on pleasing symmetrical lines. On the other hand when the cushion is occupied the ex pansion devices assist the light springs 2' in supporting the load without in any way" becoming objectionable to the occupant because of their presence in the structure. Thus, as pressure or weight is applied from above the horizontal rod and the expansion springs carried thereon move downwardly toward the bottom, the legs folding together in this action and stretching the expansion springs on the rod in increasing degree and with increasing resistance, either when the rear and front border wires are drawn toward each other by the load or when the upper border wires are depressed and ap poach the lower border wires as occurs when a person is seated upon the front edge of the cushion.

' The term cushion as used herein should be construed broadl meaning any pad.

cushion or mattress'adapted to be used as a seat or. bed.

\Vhat I claim, is:

1. A cushion having a spring expansion device therein extending horizontally midway between its top-and bottom and connected with its opposite top:and bottom border portions.

2. A cushion having expansion'means exsections springs, and expanslon devlces extending tending horizontally midway between its top and bottom and connected at its top and bottom with the apposite sides thereof ,and normally under tension to distend .the cushion laterally'at both its top and bottom.

3. A cushion having spring expansion devices extending horizontally therein midway between its top and bottom comprising diverging spreader members connected with the upper and lower corner border portions of the cushion. I

4. A padded cushion having a fabric covering and border wires at its top and bottom, and expansion means within said cushion extending between the sides thereof having spring connection with both the tom border wires.

5. A cushion embodying compression springs and padded on opposite sides thereof, including supplemental expansion devices extending horizontally midway between the opposite sides of the cushion adapting the cushion to be used on either side. v v

GI A cushion comprising separate sets'of compression springs and padded top and bottom, and expansion devices arranged midway between said sets of springs and connected with the top and bottom border portions of said cushion.

7. A cushion, comprising compartmented enclosing. separate compression horizontally between said sections in spreadmg connection with the opposite border portions of the cushion.

top and bot- I 8. A cushion, comprising juxtaposed sectrons embodying parallel rows of compression springs, border wires for said sections, a common covering for all said sections and border wires, andhorizontally arranged expansion devices interposed between said sec-- tions midwaythe top and bottom thereof, and connected with said border wires.

9. A cushion, comprising separate sets of compression springs, fabric cover for each.

set of springs, a padded cover common to all.

said sets covered-springs, border wires within said covers, and horizontally arranged expansion means connected with said border wires intermediate said sections.

10. A cushion, "comprising a horizontal expanding member having diverging foldmg extensions at opposite ends thereof and expansion springs connecting said member and extensions to effect a spreading movement in opposite directions horizontally and vertically at the opposite sides of the cushion.

11. Acushion, comprising a rod having coiled expansion springs sleeved thereon and diverglng extensions slidably engaged with saidrod and connected to said springs, said parts being confined under tension within sald CllSlllOIl.

11.. A cushion, comprising colnpartniented sections niadc ot fabric containing upright compression springs, a padded covering for I said sections. border wires within said pad ded covering, and a plural number of (2&-

pansion devices interposed between said sections comprising expansion springs andspring \vire connections extending in diverging lilies to said border wires.

13. An expansion device for padded cushions comprising a rod having coiled expansion ,-4prings sleeved upon and connected with its opposite ends, and spring spreader menispring port'oons and spring" coils at the base of said portions connected with the "lnner end of the adjacent sprin In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

DAVID T. OXVEN. 

